Start anew
by WhiteFoxLia
Summary: A little twist starting from season 2. Beth/OC pairing.


**Sorry for any mistakes, if you find any point them out and I'll correct them. As you can see this is a Kennedy/Beth story. Kennedy is an OC, and I hope you like her.**

It's early morning, the suns shining the birds are singing, and me, well I'm just waking up. I brush my hair out of my eyes and sit up with a groan. The arm that's wrapped around me glides off my bare stomach. It's tan and thin, not muscled like my family would expect, or prefer. I drop the blankets from around my waist and gather up my clothes. I look over my shoulder, short black hair is splayed over a pillow, a tribal tattoo on a pale back and a slim waist is exposed. I sigh and find my clothes which are scattered everywhere and dress. The person in the bed doesn't even stir as I close the bedroom door and leave the apartment.

I light up a cigarette while jogging down the stairs and out of the apartment building. The sun beats down on me and I pick up my pace to a brisk jog. Which probably isn't the best idea to do while smoking. I breathe it out and run through the small town and to my house. I live a mile or two away from the town and I have to cut through fields and jump over a small creek to get about half way there. My house is coming into view so I slow to a walk.

I hop over another fence then walk past the barn. The doors are bolted together and chained, I try and ignore the groans coming from inside, they're loud, it sounds like someone is in pain. Daddy won't tell me what's in there, apart from that they're quarantined and I'm not allowed to look. I shouldn't even be this near the barn.

I know he's worried about me, but I'm seventeen, I can look after myself. "Beth." I pocket the packet and lighter and walk over to Maggie. She's putting some food in an old metal troth for the pigs. I wince at the smell and lean on the white wooden fence. One hand covers my nose, while the other idly scratches at the flaking paint coating the wood. "Where'd you go last night, me and daddy were worried." I shrug; she doesn't need to know what I did. No most certainly not. A light breeze sways my hair about, away from my neck and blows my fringe away my face.

"I stayed over at a friend's house." She smirks and hops over the fence, now finished with feeding the animals. She drops the bucket by a shed when we get to it then looks at me. Her hand brushes my hair off my neck, grazing over a bruise. "Would this 'friend' be the same person who gave you this?" I raise an eyebrow and cross my arms.

"If you know then why ask?" I reply snarkily.

She chuckles and loops her arm through mine, not at all bothered by my attitude. She drags me up to the house. "Daddy's not here at the moment, he had to go to the store to get some more food. We're running low." I'm tugged up the stairs with our shoes and jackets still on. She puts me on her bed and sits opposite me. Her legs crossed and facing me with a smile. "Who is he? Was he cute? Do I know him?" I blush. "Come on, you can tell me. I'm not gonna tell daddy I swear." Okay this is new. I'm usually the one to talk to her about her life, not the other way round. She's never taken an interest in my life. So why start now I wonder.

I lean back on her pillows and close my eyes. She collapses onto my stomach, her nose pressing against it. Her nose wrinkles and she chuckles, "Eww, you need a shower." I laugh. She's remarkable at stating the obvious.

"Then get off me so I can." She chuckles and rolls over. She lands on her back and looks down at me. Amusement is clear on her face.

"Are you ever going to tell me who you slept with?" I groan and sit up. I throw my jacket on the floor, her eyes watch me as I go to the doorway. I pause and look at Maggie, she's expecting an answer.

"There was hardly any sleeping involved." She smirks and raises and eyebrow, waiting for an answer that she is not going to get. "And no, I'd rather not." Of course I'm going to tell my religious family that I had sex with a woman, a year older than me, and on more than one occasion. That ought to go over well. Daddy would probably start drinking again, Maggie would ignore me, that'd me just what I would want. My own family to hate me over something that I can't control.

I leave the room and go to my own bathroom. My clothes fall off me as I get to the door. I switch on the shower and brush my hair until the water is heated enough. I drop the brush on the sink and look in the mirror. My hair is neat and tidy, my face is red my eyes are bright and I have hickies on my neck and collar bone. It starts to steam up and I wipe my hand across it. I stare into my eyes and shift to the side. I gasp. There's three long scratch lines across my shoulder and down my back. Blood seeps from them and it drips down my back.

I sigh and run a hand through my hair.

"Always loves to leave marks." I step into the shower, angling the head of it so the water sprays on my face.

I'm only in there half an hour before someone knocks at my bedroom door. I towel dry my hair and wrap another one around my body and answer it. My dad's standing there.

He's frowning at me. "I was so worried about you." He pulls me to him and wraps his arms over my shoulder. He kisses the top of my head. "Don't run off like that again, you really scared us." Yeah right. That's not how I remember it. I remember them screaming at me, all over the cigarettes they found in a drawer by my bed. It was a massive overreaction on their part. "You hear me?"

"Yes daddy. I won't do it again." I say despite the fact that I am going to continue smoking, and want to say to him to that as well. I nod into his chest and tighten my hold on the towel above my breasts. He smiles down at me and kisses my forehead softly.

"Good." He smiles one final time and walks away, leaving me standing in my room, dripping wet and cold. I sigh and close the door. Once it's shut I drop the towel. It's my own room so why not. I'm not ashamed of how I look but when I walk to my bed I have to pass the full body mirror that's in my bathroom. Now for some reason with my body covered in hickies that my clothes would normally cover I rethink the option. I don't want anyone walking in and see me being naked and covered in hickies.

I throw on some clothes and sit on my windowsill, my legs hang outside and I look out at the farm. On the small ledge outside there's a small pot. I reach in and search around in the dirt for a clear bag. I pull it out and open it. A spare lighter and pack of cigarettes are in here. Thank God that I had some sense to hide some, I have a feeling my father checks my room every so often to see if have brought any more. I pull the bag part and pull them out. I light one up and breathe in the toxic smoke. When I exhale it instantly relaxes me and I lean back against the window frame.

"Beth come down here." I jump a foot in the air and drop my fag. It's almost in slow motion as I glare at the falling object.

"Damn it." I moan when it slips from my fingers and falls to the grass two floors below. Great, he is definitely going to see that when he does his garden. I groan and climb back into my room and cross it easily.

"Beth?"She calls again.

"Coming." I call down to Maggie. I jog down the stairs and freeze when I reach the bottom. A pale woman is standing there, short cropped hair and is wearing a smirk.

"Mornin' Bethy." Maggie chuckles and looks between us. I can see the cogs working in her mind, then when it does click she looks at me, shock expressed plain on her face. Her eyes then dart to the person in the front doorway, who is still grinning. "You didn't forget about me already did you?" I smile when she pouts.

"No I didn't"

"Good." Maggie coughs, we both look at her.

"What is going on her _Bethy?" _She mocks, a light in her eyes showing amusement.I glare. It doesn't faze her, she actually laughs it off and invites herself in, she walks passed Maggie and to me who's still standing on the bottom step. Her arms loop over my shoulders and she pulls me into a hug. "I missed you this morning."She whispers quietly in my ear so that just I can hear.

"Beth, what's going on?" Maggie asks again, quieter this time so daddy won't come and see what's happening.

I rub the back of neck, glancing from Kennedy to my sister who is staring at me with an arched eyebrow.

Dammit.

**Thanks for reading :)**

**Lia**


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